Bisky's Twitterling's Scribbles! discussion
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Would you still write if...
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@G.G., I'm glad to hear that. Write for yourself. It's how it should be. When I first self-published, I expected decent sales, and got them. But I don't think my ego would have allowed me to publish a book if I didn't expect to get any sales. It would have been too embarrassing to spend all that time on something no one else read. Ha, ha!
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I would write no matter what. Heck, right now I write and make no money~yay xp
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I will always be writing, it's just far too much fun. It entertains me to write stories, if someone else enjoys them as well that's just an extra treat.
Kay - I totally agree with you. Writing is a ton of fun and a great way to spend free time. But sometimes I wonder if I'm writing with no expectation someone will read it or enjoy it, why write it down? I guess what I'm saying is I write for me, but I also write for people who like what I like.
That makes sense too. I think the important part is to enjoy it, you can enjoy something that sells as much as much as something that doesn't.
I definitely agree. I didn't necessarily mean it from a sales perspective, just a sharing perspective. Sharing the stories has always been my personal favorite part. But I think you've answered the question perfectly. If you enjoy it, why wouldn't you still write?
Writing has always been what I wanted to do, and I never expected to get rich from it (or to even earn a decent living wage!) and I never want to be famous.However, what I do want is to be read, and to be enjoyed on some level. Even if that means people finding my books for free and reading them, and then telling all their friends, I'd be happy.
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Every writer should have a back up plan, even traditionally published authors can go through periods without making any money at all.
Absolutely would and I know this because my first published book has made next to nothing. If I won the lottery or became wealthy by some other means, I still would write because it is me.
I don't really expect to get rich and famous writing. I'm actually doing better than I expected. I have a small fan base. I get messages from people telling me that they are excited about my next book. I even had a reviewer tell me that my upcoming book pulled her out of a book slump.I read an article by Darynda Jones and she made some really good points. To e success in writing, you have to write what people are looking for. I don't really want to do that. I want to write the things I enjoy writing so I am not meant to be a success.
Yes because I love doing it. Making money from it is a nice bonus!
I would still write and publish books regardless of whether I was making decent money off them, because it's what I love to do. However, if a year went buy and I only made a handful of sales, one thing would definitely change, and that would be the speed at which I release other books. With no urgent need to get them out, I would take much longer writing and editing them. :3
I wrote all four of my books before I ever considered publishing. I thought about doing the traditional route and even sent out a few query letters. After a few rejections (and they should have been), I decided to try the self-publishing route, got me an editor, and went forward. I have sold a decent amount of books, and gotten good reviews, so I think it was worth it. I probably still haven't broken even, but it is cool to hold your paperbacks or have someone at work tell you that they just finished a book and loved it.I finished my series and am researching a whole new book to write, so yes, I will continue to write regardless of the money (though making some would be awesome)!!
That's a great question, Bisky. I have a day job and I write mostly in my free time. Even though I have a great job, all I have wanted to do since I wrote my first book is to write more. My book hasn't been released yet (5 more days to launch) so I don't even know if it will do well.But my job is now an annoyance and I spend all my time coming up with scenarios for my next book instead of actually working.
I guess the answer is yes. If I could afford it, I would write full time and do nothing else.
Trying to be a successful author is like having 2 full time jobs. You write and promote. Having a day job makes it more difficult. There are only 24 hours in a day. I try to do what makes me happy. As long as writing does that, I will continue to write. I have chatted with so many amazing people along the way. I would love to turn it into financial success, but in my mind I'm already doing well with my writing career and I haven't made a cent yet.
@Brian: I'm like you. Writing makes me happy. And any day that I don't write, I start to feel an almost existential despair -- which goes away if I write for even a short time.The one thing that gets crowded out day after day is promoting my work. Partly I'm shy, and partly, with all my other commitments, it comes down to a choice between writing and spending time online.
Writing completes me.Yeah. A cliche'. I become twitchy if I don't write. And though I have a home office to write in, with the husband yelling out over Assassin's Creed (grrrrr), I'm content to write upstairs in the hidey-hole I've carved out for myself. Doesn't matter if it's out in the car--I'm writing.
Been this way since I was a kid. Back THEN, I had the advantage--and workable knees--to hike up to the mountains where I could write for hours with hawks floating upon wind drifts, and the occasional rattle of a nearby snake. Those mountains are gone, leveled for track homes, but the memory helps to create a zen, when seeking to perfect a complicated scene.
Shadows is doing shockingly well. I'm beyond pleased. It's VERY difficult to market, write, AND hold down a day job. I'm exhausted. Then, I'll receive a review, and a fresh fire is lit under me to get book 2 through its final edits. Reviews and sales reports are like a triple shot of caffeine!!
I'm with the majority here. You have to write because you love it no matter what. And I think nearly all authors do. Expecting to become rich off of writing is like expecting to win the lottery - the odds are simply against you no mater how good you are. That's the stark reality of it. Even making a modest living from it is a monumental feat. I'm sure there are people who try their hand at it because they think it would be fun to be a rich and famous author, but I really can't imagine they would stick at it very long.
David wrote: "I'm with the majority here. You have to write because you love it no matter what. And I think nearly all authors do. Expecting to become rich off of writing is like expecting to win the lottery - t..."Yeah, agree with you here--writing is a passion first, and a hopeful paycheck second...most of us are so thrilled when a complete stranger reads our work--willingly--AND enjoys it...THAT'S the REAL paycheck right there!!!!
I guess my point is that I LOVE writing and I LOVE making money, but I've only got so much time to focus on each. Ideally, I'd make all the money I could want writing. Then I wouldn't have to choose. Kill two birds with one stone, so to speak.But long term, if I can't accomplish that, I would want to reevaluate my priorities. See what I'm trying to say? It's not that I wouldn't write. I'd always find time for that. I just don't know how much time I'd dedicate to it.
*sigh* I feel so alone in this feed. Ha, ha!
@Karey: yes, yes, yes! Though I won't say no if somebody offers me money , it meant so much to me, @Bisky, when you told me you got hooked by Safe as Houses.
Absolutely. Writing is comforting to me; I'm so excited to simply do it. To create worlds, people, conversations... I'm addicted to the daydream that is writing.
Like most of you I don't write for the money, I write because I love writing. That doesn't mean that I don't want money; of course I do! But money is not my primary motivation by any means.Thirty years ago I was in business and starting to make good money, with potential to get rich. But I wasn't happy. I thought about it and decided I would rather be happy than rich. I went into business for myself as an artisan. I absolutely had to make money, but I was doing something that I loved so all the privation and sacrifice was worth it.
Now I am back to writing- possibly the only business model worse than being and independent artisan/craftsman. If I was writing only for the money I'd cut my throat eventually. But the reality is that the bills have to be paid somehow, and the more money I make from writing the more I can afford to write, which is what I most want to be doing most of the time.
If I won the lottery? That would just mean I could write as much of whatever I wanted to write as I cared to without worrying about finances.
Cool.
Michael wrote: "I thought about it and decided I would rather be happy than rich."As someone who's had to count pennies just to eat at one point in my life, I would still agree here. I'd rather be happy than rich. Writing makes me happy; I have to hope that the money will come. If it doesn't, I'll still die happy.
@Kevin, don't feel alone here. I think most people looked at your question of a choice between writing and making money and giving it up entirely. Prioritizing some things over writing (or whatever your artistic passion may be) is an inevitability that most people have to face. If you have a family you should be prioritizing it over your writing. If you go to school you should put your studies first. And if you have a day job you most likely have to put it over your writing because it is the thing that keeps up your peaceful existence and allows you the free time to pursue your passion. In the end, everyone faces these negotiations and how much time you put into things like writing will be reflective of how much gratification it gives you.
I once read a post by a chap who said "I write as a hobby, but I publish as a business."I always thought there was a lot in that, really. I would still be doing the writing thing whether or not I was making any money. But I don't bother actually publishing anything unless I know that I'm going to recoup my costs at the very least. My latest book is about halfway to being in the black now after just two months on release. I won't be publishing anything new until it's shown some sort of profit.
@Andrew - how do you gauge whether it recoups your costs? Is that in terms of marketing, peripherals etc., rather than actual writing hours (as in, if you were being paid for a full time job)?
@David, I think you're right. Maybe I should have chosen my words better. My question wasn't about writing or not writing, but whether or not people would still publish if there was no money in it. At least, that was the question that went through my head. Who knows how it actually came out. Ha, ha!@Andrew, that's a great quote: "I write as a hobby, but I publish as a business."
That led me to question why I REALLY write books. Sure, I love to create stories and share them with others, but writing (particularly when it comes to novels) requires a huge time commitment. And deep down inside, doesn't everyone aspire toward fame and fortune in their craft?
So my question is, if you knew you would never make it financially as a novelist (this is a hypothetical, so just go with it) would you still do it for other reasons?